Statistics
The Customs Service of the Velocity Interoperability Network publishes statistics on the goods and travellers it deals with: commercial consignments cleared, declarations recorded, duty and excise assessed, examinations, restricted goods held and seizures, together with the capacity of its posts. This first release covers the transition period from 3 August to 5 September 2026, during which member organisations transferred their customs functions to the Service, and records the position at establishment on 6 September 2026.
The figures are drawn from the clearance records kept under the interim arrangements at the two freight points then in use, from the returns of member organisations for the other crossings, and from the Service's own registers. Figures for the transition period are provisional and will be revised in the next release where late returns are received. Duty figures are rounded to the nearest thousand credits.
The position at establishment. The figures below record the Service at the point of establishment.
- 1,240
- Traders on the Service's register at establishment, transferred from member organisations
- 9
- Customs posts opening between 7 and 8 September 2026
- 186
- Customs officers on duty at the posts from establishment
- 6
- Approved warehouses designated at establishment
Of the 1,240 registered traders, 918 import only, 106 export only and 216 both. Fourteen customs agents and 62 authorised carriers were transferred with them. The 186 officers comprise 152 at the posts, 22 in the Tariff and Valuation and Trade Services divisions at Customs House and 12 in Enforcement.
Activity during the transition. Before the Service's posts opened, goods continued to be cleared under interim arrangements at Westbrook Freight Gate and Southbank Quay, and travellers' declarations were taken by member organisations at the other crossings. The activity recorded under those arrangements is shown below.
| Measure | 3 to 19 August | 20 August to 5 September | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial consignments cleared | 6,318 | 7,144 | 13,462 |
| Consignments examined | 522 | 601 | 1,123 |
| Passenger declarations recorded | 2,915 | 3,388 | 6,303 |
| Postal items assessed | 4,760 | 5,205 | 9,965 |
| Duty and excise assessed (credits) | 1,842,000 | 2,116,000 | 3,958,000 |
| Restricted goods held for a document | 184 | 203 | 387 |
| Seizures of prohibited goods | 41 | 47 | 88 |
The rise in consignments between the two halves of the period reflects the merging of the member organisations' tariffs into the Common Tariff on 20 August, after which goods moving between members ceased to be assessed more than once and were declared once at the boundary of the Network. The examination rate across the period was 8.3 per cent of consignments; the Service expects it to fall as advance declarations become routine.
Duty by tariff band. The table below distributes the consignments cleared and the duty assessed during the transition across the bands of the Common Tariff, which was applied throughout the period for the purpose of this release.
| Band | Consignments or declarations | Duty and excise assessed (credits) |
|---|---|---|
| Band 1 — Reduced (5%) | 2,890 | 312,000 |
| Band 2 — Standard (10%) | 6,415 | 1,486,000 |
| Band 3 — Higher (15%) | 1,204 | 978,000 |
| Band 4 — Excise goods (duty and excise) | 1,318 | 1,094,000 |
| Simplified rate on travellers' goods (10%) | 1,412 declarations | 88,000 |
| Band 0 — Exempt and reliefs | 1,635 | — |
Seizures. Eighty-eight seizures of prohibited goods were recorded during the transition. The table below shows their distribution.
| Category | Seizures | Principal goods |
|---|---|---|
| Counterfeit goods | 36 | Clothing, footwear and electronic accessories |
| Offensive weapons | 19 | Knives and stun devices found in baggage |
| Products of protected species | 12 | Ivory and coral articles |
| Indecent material | 9 | Recordings and printed matter |
| Jamming and interception devices | 7 | Signal jammers for vehicles |
| Banned substances and hazardous waste | 5 | Refrigerants and asbestos-containing panels |
Capacity from September 2026. The figures below record the capacity the Service has established for its first months of operation. Capacity by post is set out on the Customs Posts page.
- 14
- Examination bays in service across the four freight posts from 8 September 2026
- 22
- Passenger positions at the six passenger posts
- 39,500
- Square metres of approved warehouse space at the Westbrook Distribution Site and Southbank Quay
- 2 hours
- Target time for a decision on a complete declaration and for an examination
The Service will publish statistics quarterly. The next release, covering the quarter ending 30 September 2026, will be published in October 2026 and announced in the Newsroom. For the tariff bands these figures report on, see Duties and Allowances; for the milestones of the transition, see History. Questions about these figures may be sent to contact@customs.gov.vin.